Free Republic

Before reading this thread, try clicking this link or reading the excerpt below, from a post by FReeper littlejeremiah:HOW COLLECTIVISTS USE THE DIAMOND TACTIC TO SWAY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND HOW TO THWART THEM by G. Edward Griffin In the 1960s, I came across a small training manual distributed by the Communist Party that showed how a small group of people – as few as four – could dominate a much larger group and sway the outcome of any action taken by that group. It was called the Diamond Technique.The principle is based on the fact that people in groups tend...

President Obama praised the Senate yesterday for clearing a 60-40 procedural vote on his health plan in the dead of night and "standing up to the special interests who've prevented reform for decades and who are furiously lobbying against it now." They're furiously lobbying all right—not against ObamaCare but for the sundry preferences in the Senate bill. Start with the special tax carve-outs included in the "manager's amendment" that Harry Reid dropped Saturday morning. White House budget director Peter Orszag has claimed that the bill's 40% excise tax on high-cost insurance plans is key to reducing health costs. Yet the...

Last weekend while you were preparing for the holidays with your family, Harry Reid’s Senate was making shady backroom deals to ram through the Democrat health care take-over. The Senate ended debate on this bill without even reading it. That and midnight weekend votes seem to be standard operating procedures in D.C. No one is certain of what’s in the bill, but Senator Jim DeMint spotted one shocking revelation regarding the section in the bill describing the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (now called the Independent Payment Advisory Board), which is a panel of bureaucrats charged with cutting health care costs...

A leaked memo sent by an oil industry group reveals a plan to create astroturf rallies at which industry employees posing as "citizens" will urge Congress to oppose climate change legislation. The memo -- sent by the American Petroleum Institute and obtained by Greenpeace, which sent it to reporters -- urges oil companies to recruit their employees for events that will "put a human face on the impacts of unsound energy policy," and will urge senators to "avoid the mistakes embodied in the House climate bill."

Cap and trade legislation may be one of the biggest issues facing the oil and gas industry according to Dr. Daniel Fine, Associate of Policy, Strategy and Development at New Mexico Tech. He also serves on the New Mexico Center for Energy Policy which is hosting the presentation by former Shell Oil executive, John Hofmeister tonight. “What is the purpose to cap and trade?” asks Fine. “Is the purpose to raise revenue? Is the purpose to lower CO2? Or both?” The bill (Waxman-Markey) coming out of the U.S. House of Representatives claims both purposes without a clear policy declaration.

Two Republican lawmakers and brothers jointly rescinded their backing of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate, using vague language to explain that they're out of the endorsement game. "We take our endorsements seriously, but the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative," said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, speaking on behalf of his brother, Mario. Balart Chief of Staff Ana Carbonell told Fox News said the brothers aren't going to turn around and back Crist opponent, former House Speaker Mario Rubio, who has moved up in primary polls ahead of next year's vote

Without sixty votes in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would not be able to invoke cloture, or cut off debate. Anything short of sixty would allow a filibuster and doom Obama’s health care plan. The present 60-vote majority is artificial, the result of undemocratic means. Consider how three of these votes came to be: Roland Burris- Appointed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich just prior to his removal, Democratic leaders including Harry Reid pledged that he would never be seated. Barack Obama, along with other Democratic officials in Illinois, called for a special election to fill the seat. When...

On the Senate floor yesterday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) pointed out how a rule change contained in the 2,700-page government-run health care bill being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is illegal and, if allowed to go uncontested, will result in the death panel provision of the bill becoming permanent.

I heard about it on the radio, this morning as Michelle Bachmann informed Glenn Becks’s sub, Chris Baker about the ACORN provision, one of the eleventh hour additions made behind closed doors. These Dems are absolutely brazen. Roland Burris is claiming credit: The provision he cites, found on pages 240 through 248 of the manager’s amendment, requires that six different agencies each establish an “Office of Minority Health.” The agencies are the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the...

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, responded Tuesday to widespread criticism that Democrats only garnered the 60 votes needed to defeat Republican stalling tactics on the health reform bill by catering to self-interest, saying Democrats are focusing on the big picture; "trying to cross a demarcation line." Harkin dismissed deals dubbed vote-buying by GOP senators as "small stuff" that distracted Americans from the primary focus of the overhaul bill. "We have to keep our eyes on what we're trying to do here. We're trying to cross a demarcation line," Harkin told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez. "On one side is health care...

Members of the Democratic Caucus Akaka, Daniel - (D - HI) 141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6361 E-mail: senator@akaka.senate.gov Baucus, Max - (D - MT) 511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2651 Web Form: baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm Bayh, Evan - (D - IN) 463 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5623 Web Form: bayh.senate.gov/WebMail1.htm Begich, Mark (D - AK) 825 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202)224-3004 Web Form: begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator Bennet, Michael - (D - CO) 702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5852 Web Form: bennet.senate.gov/contact/ Bingaman, Jeff -...

The health care bill being forced through the Senate ensures that all taxpayers contribute to the reprehensible act of abortion through layers of accounting obfuscation. This was confirmed by Kathleen Sebelius in an interview which can be viewed here. I find it a tragic coincidence, but fittingly symbolic, that on Christmas Eve, as millions of Christians are celebrating Christ’s birth, our Senators will be voting on a healthcare bill that formally commits all American taxpayers to supporting and encouraging abortion. Maybe they can dedicate time in their busy schedule on Christmas day to reflect how they will be judged and...

GOP Leader: “Senate Democrats Have Sunk to Plenty of New Lows to Jam Through This Government Takeover of Health Care, But Putting Their Votes on the Auction Block Tops Them All.” Washington, Dec 22 - Americans are still combing through all the sweetheart deals Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) made in order to jam through his government takeover of health care on the night before Christmas. To be fair, Washington Democrats are making it easier to sort out this calamity by rushing to take credit for all these payoffs, proving once again how out of touch they are with...

Many opponents of Obamacare have been saying it doesn't matter if it gets passed, if the GOP takes over in 2010 they will repeal it. Sorry that will not be possible. The bill making its way through the Senate includes a clause that requires a two-thirds vote to amend or repeal certain sections of the bill. Section 3403 of Senator Harry Reid's amendment (page 1020) (A) IN GENERAL.—It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, or amendment, pursuant to this subsection or conference2 report thereon, that fails to satisfy...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) has thumbed through Harry Reid's manager's amendment and discovered some "particularly troubling" rule-change provisions, especially with regards to the proposed Independent Medicare Advisory Board, which he finds could be unrepealable:

The rules of the Senate require that a quorum be present to transact business. A quorum is 51 Senators. In most instances, outside of roll call votes, there are no more than 4 Senators on the Senate floor. If a Republican Senator suggested the absence of a quorum, Democrats could not transact business on the bill. It is a common courtesy to allow the quorum call to be dispensed with, without requiring 51 members to show up on the Senate floor (to get 51 Senators to appear without a roll call vote is very time consuming). When the Democrats ask...

if THIS John McCain were running for President last year, we might not be in this mess!

US Citizens in nearly every state awoke this morning to the news of the Senate passing its version of the Health Care Reform bill, but what most citizens haven’t realized yet is that their US Senators cost them as much as $300 Million in cash payments, cost deferments or additional benefits as part of the legislation. For the sake of argument, let’s put aside our opinions on the merits of the Health Care bill itself and instead ask some tough questions about the people who represented us during these negotiations. Senators from Louisiana, Vermont, Nebraska, Nevada, and one other unnamed...

Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid's "manager's amendment," unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill. On December 9, Burris, an Illinois Democrat, pledged that he would filibuster a health care bill without a public option. "If we have to get 60 and it comes back and it does not have a public option in it, I will not vote for it," he said. Then early last week he said he could vote for the bill if there were changes made to achieve the goals of the public...

The Senate Democrats declare a super-majority of senators will be needed to overrule any regulation imposed by the Death Panels

Reformatted per requests- Congress' ability to tax and spend is regulated by the general welfare clause of the Constitution. A law that pays money for a program in only one state could not be interpreted as being for the "general" welfare. The uniformity clause pertains only to taxes, but a strong argument could be made that the founders never envisioned taxes collected from 50 states being used to pay for a program in only one state, a program that exists in all 50 but is not supported with federal dollars in the other 49. We would still have 13 colonies...

Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for abortion evaporated like the morning dew as he decided to take what was behind door No. 1. The deal for Nelson includes special Medicaid funding for Nebraska, along...

Guiliani will NOT run for Senate this year. Like him or not, he was best chance for a MORE CONSERVATIVE candidate. Don't waste time with the "not Conservative enough" mantra. He was better than anyone else with a chance to get elected.

Congress has been working on a health care bill for the better part of a year. The coverage of the legislation inevitably takes on a day-to-day, blow-by-blow account of the political machinations in Washington, D.C. The public option is in, then it's out, then maybe it's in with a trigger, then it's out, then maybe Medicare is expanded to include some as young as 55, then that's out. The legislation will have changed more between the time we write this and you read it. Anything to come up with 60 votes in the Senate in a big hurry. What's easy...

Question - I have been hearing commentators state that the House can simply pass the Senate Health Care bill without the bill going to a conference committee. My question is this - because the Constitution requires all revenue bills to originate in the House, can the House even do this? Wouldn't the bill have to go to committee, then the House vote on the bill first, then the Senate?

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell emphasized the huge political stakes of the upcoming late-night vote, calling it "one of the most important we've had in many decades." He called the Democratic proposal a "2,700 page monstrosity that seeks to restructure one-sixth of our economy." McConnell noted that CBO released a new cost estimate for the Democratic inititiative on Sunday, which McConnell said potentially adds another $500 billion to the cost of the legislation in the second decade. The Kentucky Republican, who is known for steering millions of dollars of pork barrel spending back to his own state, slammed the last-minute...

As expected, Senate Democrats pushed Obamacare over the next legislative hurdle at approximately 1:00am this morning at the tail end of the worst snowstorm to hit the capitol in years. Perfect timing if the goal was to sneak the vote past the American people who time and again have voiced their opinions against this version of health care reform. But a little thing like the American people isn't going to stop Mr. Obama and his accomplices from remaking the country and they have the nerve to say we'll thank them for it later. Not willing to acknowledge they have done...

When only 30% of a state’s likely voters support the one piece of legislation on which the incumbent has worked for most of the year, they tend to get a little chippy about the idea of sending him back to Washington. When paired up with Republican Governor John Hoeven in a 2010 midterm election, Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan trails by 22 points, 58%-36%: Incumbent Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan may have a serious problem on his hands if Republicans recruit Governor John Hoeven to run for the U.S. Senate in North Dakota next year. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone...

In the style of Sen. Ben "Traitor" Nelson .... can other senators start offering, one after another, amendments to ObamaCare saying, "We want free Medicaid too -- just like in Nebraska!" No, of course I'm not in favor of that. I'm trying to think of ways to stop or slow down this abomination.

Senate Ends Filibuster on Manager's Amendment to Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate has ended the filibuster against the manager's amendment, the changes Senate Leader Harry Reid is sponsoring to the pro-abortion Senate health care bill to get it to 60 votes. The vote came after Sen. Ben Nelson upset pro-life groups by ending his objection to the bill over its abortion funding. http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5800.html

Did Congress pass Obamacare at 1:00 a.m. this morning? One could be forgiven for thinking so. But one would be wrong. Today's vote was only a cloture vote to shut off debate. But months of vigorous opposition by the American people and a civil war in the Democrat Party has raised the profile of the legislation to unprecedented heights in the public eye. The cloture vote was widely reported to be 'the' vote. To 'Kerry' something is no longer a safe hiding place. If a Senator tries to Kerry this thing by telling his constituents that he 'voted for it...

-They now "own" this trainwreck and it will cost them BIG!-Republicans will keep fighting to the last vote on Christmas Eve!Shortly after 1 AM Monday morning Democrats reached the all important 60 vote mark required to begin moving their health care "reform" bill to final passage this week in the U.S. Senate. Not a single Republican voted to end the filibuster. We are only now learning the price Democrats paid for those votes. $100 million for a hospital in Sen. Chris Dodd's state of Connecticut, $500 million for Medicaid for Massachusetts and $100 million for Medicaid in Nebraska to win...

Rob Mitchell, congressional candidate for PA's 8th District responds to this weekend's Senate deliberations on sweeping health care reform legislation....

Senators are suffering from cabin fever — and it has nothing to do with the snowstorm that socked Washington over the weekend. A marathon session of early-morning, late-night and weekend votes — all coming after senators are typically home for the holidays — has everyone on edge in the cooped-up Capitol, with testy exchanges and harsh recriminations replacing the clubby decorum that usually prevails in the Senate. Republicans fumed last week when Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) revealed the contents of a private conversation with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in a fiercely critical speech on the floor. Democrats boiled over when...

Democrats will have 10 votes to give to on the final vote. So who will vote "no" after voting "yes" on cloture? Nelson? Lincoln? Bayh? Webb? Landrieu? Dorgan? The Dingy One himself?

Perhaps the most common question I'm asked about ObamaCare is: "Will I be able to buy my way out of it?" The answer is: "Not unless you're very rich." The plan before the Senate creates a set of 50 state-based insurance "exchanges" that are established as markets for health plans. Consumers must buy policies from their employers or through the exchanges — but, either way, their choice of coverage is limited to one of four basic insurance plans that the government sanctions. Private insurers will still compete to offer policies but must model their coverage on one of these four...

Did not see an official thread. If you are still awake-here it is. Watch live here.

So it comes down to this, Senator Nelson trades his pro-life position for a couple of bucks...Gee, if he thought abortion is murder on Thursday, why isn't it murder on Friday. For another couple of million for his home state maybe he will come out saying that the victims of 9-11 had it coming. But to be honest, if Ben Nelson didn't fold, somebody else would have. Lets face it, this was too valuable to the progressives to fail, a chance to take over every aspect of our lives, to decide who lives and who dies, and the best part...

Under Senate rules, three successive votes to end debate will be held 30 hours apart. The first vote was scheduled at 1 this morning. The next vote will be held at 7 a.m. tomorrow, followed by one at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The final vote on the measure will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday (Christmas Eve), unless Republicans relent and allow it to occur on Wednesday afternoon. But they did not signal any willingness to do that yesterday. "We'll fight the good fight," said Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona. "We'll fight until the last vote." "This process is not...

In the city of Chicago "politics" is done very differently than in much of the rest of the nation. Evidently in tiring of hearing from "we the people," the current administration has a political death wish. Many of the prominent capitol hill leaders seem determined to join Obama and company as they plummet fully another sixth of the American economy into the eternal abyss. But we would not be at this point if President Obama had not broken very specific promises. Most specifically he has broken his constant pledges from the campaign trail to be a different kind of leader....

Health Care Legisaltion: 1:01 am ET 1st procedure vote.

Subject: DO NOT GIVE UP! Senate Watch TONIGHT with NATIONWIDE Virtual Vigil Greetings Patriots,It is five days before Christmas and it looks as if the Scrooges in DC aren't packing it up and going home.  Instead, they have decided to call Ba-humbug and pass this legislation that 61% of Americans do not support.  This past week, even Howard Dean came out and said it was not good for this country because it is a bailout for big insurance companies.  On Thursday, MoveOn.org sent a message to their members that they do not want the legislation passed either and that...

Back on November 21st, Senator Mary Landrieu provided the 60th vote for the Senate Democrats to cut off a GOP filibuster and start the debate on a healthcare reform bill. In exchange for that vote, the Democratic leadership offered her a $300 million ‘bribe’ in the form of additional Medicaid benefits for her home state of Louisiana and for other states ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Now a month later Senator Ben Nelson has announced that he will provide the 60th vote to cut off debate on the healthcare reform bill. In exchange for his vote, the Democratic leadership offered him...

I didn't know it until a couple minutes ago, but Senator Coburn is speaking now, likely to an empty chamber. At 1AM EST tomorrow - I think - a new procedural vote happens, and we'll see if the Democrats have their 60 votes.

Per the link, buried on page 328 and entitled, "SEC. 10502. INFRASTRUCTURE TO EXPAND ACCESS TO..", there is an appropriation for an undisclosed state to receive from the Federal Treasury $100,000,000, to build or expand a state university medical school. The language reads... "(a) APPROPRIATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated, and there are appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, to remain available for obligation until September 30, 2011, to be used for debt service on, or direct construction or renovation of, a health care facility that provides research, inpatient tertiary care, or...

I went back to our GOP Senate source to ask if the Democratic victory lap over the status of Obmacare in the Senate might be premature. He comments: It feels to me it's nothing short of journalistic malpractice that no one has talked to Jim Webb. He hasn't said a word over the last two days, yet he wrote an op-ed earlier this week saying he was undecided and his spokeswoman told the Washington Post the same thing on Thursday. And no one has asked him anything. One thing I'll say in terms of what Republicans will do over the...

Today, December 20,Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) said ...

<p>Reid is trying to do cram through, he has his 60. But what if, that is the question. Their is a special election in Massachusetts on 01/19/2010. What if their internals are so bad that a Republican has a chance to win Teddy Kennedy's seat? What if Scott Brown actually wins in Massachusetts? Tangential to this is the age and health of Senator Byrd. These are two risks that could delay their 60 vote fillibuster proof majority. One by going back to 59 if Brown wins, and the other is all the issues that would occur if Byrd's health failed or worse, note we wish him well, but at 95 if my memory is correct, he has been in better health. I look forward to Freepers' thoughts on this.</p>

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/19/us/politics/1119-plan-comparison.html#tab=0

Health bill poised for Christmas Eve passage By CARL HULSE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN New York Times Dec. 20, 2009, 8:09AM WASHINGTON — Outnumbered Republicans are pledging to delay passage of historic health care legislation as long as possible after jubilant Democrats locked in Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson as the 60th and decisive vote. Nelson’s backing puts President Barack Obama’s signature issue firmly on a path for Christmas Eve passage. Democrats will need to show 60 votes on two additional occasions, with the next — and most critical — test vote set for about 1 a.m. Monday. “This bill...